White Lightning, Black Thunder
by Scarpaw
Summary: After an accident street racing, Bakura and Ryou move to Domino in order to give Ryou a chance to get over his obsession with street races. But is this really a remedy? Or is this just the withdrawl making Ryou want the race even more? AU, slight yaoi.
1. Prologue: Street Race

Hey, Paw-Chan with an all new story! ^_^ I have had this idea for a while, and I think it's a good one! ^)^

Things to know before hand? There will be slight Shounen-ai themes. It's light, and I'm pretty sure that's how it's gonig to stay. I haven't really decided on pairings though, so anything's open.

Other warnings? This is AU, so the Yamis aren't Yamis, and they have their own bodies. And this uses Japanese names, so if American names are used, assume they are different characters.

And there will be eventual cross-dressing, but that will be explained in more detail later.

That's all for now. Enjoy the Prologue of _White Lightning, Black Thunder._

**Disclaimer: Only own the idea. Everything else belongs to their proper owners.**

_**White Lightning, Black Thunder**_

_**Prologue: Street Race**_

_Click. Clack. Click. Clack._

"Hey Ryou!" A male's voice echoed through a closed window. Stumbling out of bed, said albino made his way towards the window and threw it open, green eyes blearily looking down the two stories to the ground. There were two boys on the ground, and they were obviously trying to make themselves as quiet as possible. One had blonde hair and lavender eyes while the other had black hair and green eyes like Ryou.

"Malik? Ryuuji?" Ryou yelled down. "What are you two doing here?" The blonde groaned and smacked his head and while the other responded,

"The race, remember?" He called back. "You promised! And don't use the excuse of your brother! You know damn well he's out with Marik!" The blonde nodded a bit lopsidedly.

"Yeah!" The blonde tossed up as well. "I even made sure not to leave until after Marik had left so not to raise suspicion!" Ryou groaned, and called back down,

"I'm coming! Give me a sec!" The window is closed gently as to not wake the other non-existent members of the household, and Ryou changed from his pyjamas into loose pants and a light t-shirt.

Ryou snuck out of the house with the ease and grace of a trained thief. Stepping out into the warm spring night, Ryou took a deep breath, giving a small smile. Malik and Ryuuji bounced over to him, throwing an arm each over his shoulder.

"Ready?" Malik grinned, and Ryou sighed.

"As I'll ever be." He responded as they started off down the streets.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

"_Tonight's the biggest race of the month!"_ An MC shouted through a mike somewhere in the chaos. "_Not only do we have The Pharaoh and Blue Eyes racing, but we have a little underdog with us! We have none other than White Lightning joining us tonight!"_

Ryou took a shaky breath. Ryuuji merely slapped his back.

"You're gonna be _fine_ Ryou," Ryuuji grinned, slapping his back. "Pharaoh and Blue Eyes aren't cut-throat like the other racers we've gone against."

"You mean _me_," Ryou quipped sourly under his breath. If Ryuuji heard, he didn't acknowledge Ryou.

"Besides," Malik cut in smoothly. "They'll be mostly concentrating on taking each _other_ out, not you. So, you'll be safe, 'kay?" Ryou sighed and twisted his hands- his _white_ gloved hands.

"_Racers to the starting line!"_ The MC called, and quick as a flash there was a white helmet pressed in his hands.

"You'll be fine," Malik assured him, pressing a kiss to Ryou's cheek. "You've only done this circuit how many times?" Ryou gave a weak smile, tucking the helmet under his arm.

"Just go out and do your best, 'kay?" Ryuuji smiled, ruffling Ryou's ponytail. "We don't want to win; we just want to prove that we're just as good as Pharaoh and Blue Eyes." He patted Ryou on the cheek, but didn't kiss him like Malik had. Ryou nodded as he put the helmet on, and climbed into a nearby car- white like everything else of his where they were right then.

Ryou drove the car easily up to the starting line. He was at the right end, with Pharaoh in the middle and Blue Eyes at the left end. He knew on the outside he appeared nonchalant, but on the inside he was bursting with nervousness. Something was going to go wrong- he could feel it. But he couldn't back down now from the race. What would that do for White Lightning's racing image? That he was a wuss and couldn't compete with the big leagues- the big racers like Blue Eyes and Pharaoh.

"_On your mark!"_ Ryou heard faintly in the distance, as he clutched the steering wheel tightly. He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. Over reacting would do nothing good for him right now.

"_Get Set!_" The engines of all three vehicles were revving, ready for the race.

"_Go!"_ And they were all gone in a flash. Ryou forced himself to calm as he went. This was a relatively easy circuit. One he had done a million times before, whether practicing or in races.

He could do this.

Ryou kept up with Blue Eyes as best he could. Pharaoh had already pushed forward for a good first-place lead, but Blue Eyes was close enough that Ryou could usurp second if he tried hard enough.

The swiveling turns of the circuit were hard enough with good control, but Ryou managed easily, and managed to get dead even with Blue Eyes. The best part about the circuit was the fact that it was a short one, so it wouldn't take much longer.

The last curve of the race was a particularly nasty one before a straightaway to the finish. It was practically a ninety-degree angle, and a tight fit. It was spacious enough for one car, but the thought of _two_? One of them was going to have to slow down or there was going to be a wreck- a nasty, ugly, wreck.

Ryou pressed down on the gas pedal and urged the car forward. Even the smallest of leads on Blue Eyes would force the latter back and give him the chance for second. And it was just that urging that shot him forward.

Ryou shot in front of Blue Eyes, taking the corner with ease. In fact, it seemed _too_ easy… He exited the turn, and before he knew it, something had blown. The car was spinning out of control, and Ryou was having a hell of a time keeping the vehicle straight.

Braking was useless; it did nothing, and Ryou attempted changing the direction of the steering wheel. Again it did nothing, and Ryou fumbled around for the emergency brake as he spun past the finish line, second in his spinning craze.

He yanked the emergency brake, but it was futile as in just that moment the car slammed into a brick wall. The last thing he knew was heat and darkness, then all was lost…

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

Ryou ended up spending two weeks in the hospital, lucky to be alive. While Malik and Ryuuji told the hospital administration he had been jumped and then the building he had been in set on fire, Bakura sniffed out the true story. He always did.

"You were racing again." Ryou merely looked away from his older brother, eyes downcast.

"Dammit Ryou! I thought I told you not to! I told you it was dangerous! And look what happened!" Bakura raved. "You're in the hospital! You nearly _died_, dammit!" Ryou flinched, and all that he had to say was,

"I got second." It was meek, but Bakura blinked before launching off again.

"You nearly die and all you care is that you got second in stupid race?!" Bakura seethed, "I knew letting you hang out with Otogi and Ishtal was a bad idea…" Ryou shot up, glaring at his brother.

"Me hanging out with Malik is a bad idea?!" Ryou snarled, his good hand clenching the sheets of the hospital bed tightly. "You hang out with his brother all the time! If anything, this was your fault! You're the one who told me to do something '_constructive_' with my time!"

"Are you two alright in there?" A nurse popped her curly head into the room. The brothers looked at each other before Bakura responded.

"Yes," He said, and the nurse nodded.

"You have more visitors," She smiled, directing the comment to Ryou. She left, and in came Ryuuji, Malik, and Marik.

"Ryou!" Malik crowed, as this was his first opportunity to see his wayward friend in two weeks. "That was a kickass race! I still can't believe you managed to beat…" But he trailed off seeing Bakura's disapproving face. "Uh… I mean…" Malik floundered while Marik merely laughed at his brother's idiocy.

"We're sorry Ryou." Ryuuji said at last, watching Malik flounder a bit more. Ryou blinked uncomprehendingly at his friend.

"Sorry for what?" Ryou asked, ignoring Bakura's glare. They both knew where this was going.

"For the car malfunction." Ryuuji admitted, keeping his voice low so the nurses wouldn't overhear. "I should've checked the car better." Ryou looked aghast while Bakura smirked.

"It's not your fault!" Ryou argued, ignoring Bakura's scowl. He wanted to blame Ryuuji and Malik and be rid of them. "If anything, it's mine!"

"Yours?" Everybody in the room echoed disbelievingly. In an instant Malik had launched himself at Ryou and attached himself to his side.

"Don't say that Ryou!" He cried in an almost theatrical way. "It's not your fault!" Ryou grimaced as he pushed his friend gently away.

"Of course it is!" Ryou protested. "I should have just chickened out of the race. Not done it." Tears were starting to slip down his cheeks. "Then maybe everybody wouldn't be so mad at me." Bakura flinched.

"Ryou, we're not mad at-" Malik started, but Ryou shook his head.

"Of course you are!" Ryou cried out. "You're mad at me for crashing, for racing, for ruining the car, for… for…" Ryou hiccupped, wiping tears furiously out of his eyes.

"Bakura, why don't we go have a talk?" Marik suggested, "Give the drama queens some time to work out their differences?" Marik didn't give Bakura a chance to protest- he just took his arm around Bakura's shoulder and practically dragged Bakura out of the room.

"Look Bakura," Marik started after the door to Ryou's room was shut. "Maybe you and Ryou should go away for a while." Bakura raised an eyebrow, garnet eyes meeting dark lavender.

"Away for a while?" He repeated. "Why?"

"A year or so," Marik clarified, looking at Bakura, slouching with a hand shoved haphazardly into his pocket. "Just so those three-" He jerked his head towards Ryou's room. "- can get over this racing obsession of theirs." Bakura nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Alright." He agreed. "I'll talk to my dad and get it set up." Marik nodded approvingly.

"Go to Domino," Marik suggested. "It may not be that far from Kyoto, but there are a lot of things that Ryou can get caught up in- things other than racing. And Isis runs the Domino Museum, so you can talk to her if you have problems or any of that shit." Bakura glanced towards Ryou's room, looking at Ryuuji and Malik before looking back at Marik.

"Will do." He responded, just as Ryuuji and Malik came out.

"Ryou fell asleep." Was all Ryuuji supplied, before he turned to leave. No one stopped him as he left.

"Are you two alright?" Malik finally asked, looking between his brother and Bakura.

"Fine Malik," Marik responded. "Let's get going. I didn't tell Rishid where we were going so we should probably get back before Isis does." Malik glared at his brother, but all Marik did was wave it off.

"Go and wait outside before I decide I'll just leave you." Malik scoffed.

"As if." But he left all the same. Marik hesitated in his departure.

"So, I suppose this is good bye?" He said finally. Bakura nodded.

"For now." Bakura answered needlessly, and Marik gave a small jerk of his head before leaving. Bakura waited a second before pulling out a cell phone. He hit a number on it, waited a few seconds before saying,

"Hullo," In a pleasant voice. "May you patch me through to Bakura Yaten?" There was a pause, and then Bakura started speaking again.

"Hey dad, it's Akefia." Bakura informed him. "Ryou was jumped the other day…" Bakura paused, listening to his dad. "He's fine, but I was wondering. Do you think we could move? Ya know, some place a little safer? So Ryou won't be the normal danger magnet he is?" He paused once again, and nodded slightly to himself.

"Yeah, I have a place in mind." Bakura told his father. "It's Domino City." Bakura paused again, grimace on his face as his father cut in. "Yeah, Marik told me that it would be good too. That we could go to his sister- Isis, remember?- if we had any trouble." There was another pause, and by the end of it, he was grinning a grin that the Cheshire Cat would have been proud of.

"Glad you think so to." And the phone was hung up.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

So, how was the prologue? Was it alright? Were any of you surprised that it was Ryou doing the racing instead of Bakura? ^_^ I figured that it would be a nice change of pace. XP Over protective Bakura is still here, so no qualms about that! ^_^

And, can anyone guess who Pharaoh and Blue Eyes are? You have three guesses each and the first two don't count! ^_^

Please read and review and tell me what you think!!!!

~~Paw-Chan Signing Out~~


	2. New Friends, Guilty Conscience

Hey, I'm back with the first chapter of _White Lightning, Black Thunder_! I hope you guys are enjoying this, because I know I am.

We're now set a few months in the future, and this will jump a few more months too before we get set to the real time period. Why don't I go to that time period now? Because I need to give you background first, and this is the easiest way to do it.

So, enjoy the first chapter! ^_^

**Disclaimer: I think it's safe to say that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh**

_**A Few Months Later…**_

_**Chapter 1: New Friends, Guilty Conscience**_

"Class, I'd like to introduce a new student that will be joining us this year." The class stirred as their teacher spoke, murmuring to themselves. They hardly ever had new students, so it was a big thing for them. Was it a girl? Boy? Were they a punk; goody-goody, friendly? What did they look like?

"This is Bakura Ryou," She introduced the boy to the class. The boy had white, borderline silver, hair and bright green eyes. On his left hand was a black brace that went up underneath his uniform jacket, almost completely hidden, and his right hand showed bandages on it as well. "Ryou, would you like to say something to the class?" Ryou gave the teacher a smile, and turned to the class.

"Hullo," He said, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to sit without saying something first. "I'm Bakura Ryou. My brother Bakura is a year ahead of me and we just moved here from Kyoto." Ryou threw a glance towards the teacher who nodded approvingly. The class went back to their murmurings. Ryou could hear their words, and he just gave a small smile.

"_Kyoto?_" One group was whispering. "_You think he was part of a gang?_"

"_Maybe he's part of the Racers!_" One section was whispering. "_Most of them live in Kyoto._"

"_Maybe his parents got transferred._"

"_He's probably here 'cause his brother got in trouble._"

"Katsuya, stand up!" She barked over the din, before smiling at Ryou. "You'll sit in the empty seat next to Katsuya." Ryou nodded and made his way down the aisle to sit in the seat next to the blond.

As Ryou sat down the teacher shushed the class and started the lesson.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

The bell for lunch rang, and Ryou sighed staring out the window, a bit depressed. If he was back in Kyoto, he would be going with Malik and Ryuuji right now for lunch. Malik would be stealing half the things off of his plate while Ryuuji would yell at him, and Ryou would just sit there, trying not to let either of them see him laughing. But, as it was, he wasn't in Kyoto anymore. He was in Domino, at a new school- where he didn't want to be. Why did Bakura have to make them move?

"Hey Bakura," Ryou jumped and looked up. It was the blonde he had spent the first class next to.

"Um…" Ryou grappled through his memory for the blonde's name. "Katsuya, right?" The blond laughed, and shook his head.

"Just call me Jou," Jou encouraged. "Everybody else does." He made a face. "'Cept for the teachers though, but that can't be helped. But, anyways, Bakura, we were wondering- my friends and I," He gladly specified for Ryou. "If you would want to sit with us at lunch?" Ryou blinked.

"Um…" Ryou hesitated. He had figured that the minute he got down to the lunchroom, Bakura would be like a leech to his side, like he was for most of the summer. Honestly, one crash and he thinks that it's the end of the world! But… Then again, this was the perfect chance to get back at Bakura for holing him up most of the summer.

"Sure," Ryou smiled. "But, can you do something for me?" Jou nodded.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked.

"Call me Ryou- Bakura is what my brother goes by." Jou shrugged.

"Whatever works for you," Jou responded, slinging his arm around Ryou's shoulder, leading him down to the lunch room.

In his heart, Ryou felt a pang of sadness. Jou reminded him a bit of how affectionate Malik was. Because of that, Ryou didn't shake Jou's arm off. Yet, in his heart, beneath the sadness, Ryou felt guilty. Like he was trying to replace his old friends with these new false ones.

But that wasn't true. Ryou wasn't replacing Ryuuji or Malik. It's just… He didn't want to be alone or holed up with Bakura. Ryuuji and Malik would understand. They knew how he hated it when he was alone or holed up with his brother.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

"Why do you think Ryou would up and leave like that?"

"I don't know Malik."

"I mean, it's not like he was mad at us- he even said so!"

"I don't know Malik."

"Why would he leave without saying goodbye though? It's not like Ryou!"

"_I don't know Malik._"

"You think his dad made him move? Found out about the racing?"

"Malik, if I knew I would tell you. As it is, I don't so _shut up_." There was silence for a few seconds.

"I bet he's lonely at his new school though!"

"Malik, for Kami's sake! If you don't shut up I will beat the shit out of you!" Silence for a minute, before-

"But Ryuuji, I miss our little Ryou!" Ryuuji sighed.

"So do I Malik. So do I."

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

The days meshed into weeks before the weeks had blurred into a month. Ryou had spent most of his time between homework and school hanging out with Yugi, his older brother Yami, Jou, Honda, and Anzu, a group of kids that Bakura fully approved of for him to hang out with. Things had been going smoothly when…

"I heard Blue Eyes is racing a newbie tonight in Kyoto, followed by The Pharaoh and Worm Wall." Yugi cheerfully informed the lunch table. There was a mixed reaction from the table, and Ryou, uncertain how to react, simply scratch at the brace on his arm. It was itchy! When would he get to take it off?

"And?" Anzu asked. She wasn't really interested in the races, but she enjoyed them as much as she could for the guys' sake. "Is Blue Eyes still steaming after his loss to that noob- White Lightning, was it?" Ryou really did freeze this time. Yugi shrugged.

"I guess." He answered. "Apparently Blue Eyes has tried to get a hold of White Lightning for a rematch, but no one's caught wind of him after the accident."

"The accident?" Ryou finally managed to get his throat to work, and was able to say something. If he wanted to look like he really didn't know about the races, this was the chance.

The rest of the group looked a bit startled, and Ryo seized this as his chance.

"You didn't hear about While Lightning's accident?" Jou asked incredulously. Ryou shook his head.

"Not really," He responded. "I heard it happened sometime around the thirteenth of May, but I was in the hospital- got jumped on the way home from school; they set the building on fire. Was in the hospital for more than a month." The group shuddered a bit, but they couldn't say anything. The only other real reaction was the narrowing of eyes from Yami.

"Well," Honda informed him. "White Lightning was a pretty new guy to the races. Just joined that past March. At the rookie tournament, like most racers, didn't give his name, id, or anything. Just came up, did his thing, and told us that his goal was to be as good as the Wallflower." Ryou raised an eyebrow.

"Wallflower?" The group nodded, and Yami cut in.

"Yes, the Wallflower." He told Ryou. "She was one of the only female racers. Best racer too, before her accident. Got killed on a simple track. Most racers figured it was an engine failure; her crew couldn't get her out of the vehicle in time. Unlike White Lightning's crew, who got him out with time to spare. They disappeared though, presumably to take the driver off to the hospital and make up a reason why he was like that." Ryou nodded, thoughtfully.

"But, anyways," Yugi, trailed, taking the conversation back to its original track. "Do you guys want to go see the race? We can all stay the night at my house- it's Friday after all -and go out and see the races. Grandpa doesn't care that we go, as long as we don't cause any trouble." The group looked thoughtful.

"I'm game," Jou said first, and Honda nodded.

"If Jou's going, I'm going to," He agreed, and Anzu shrugged.

"Why not?" Was her answer. Yugi turned to Ryou.

"What about you Ryou?" He asked, voice sounding a bit pleading. "Will you come too?" Because he had his other three friends going, he had to have all four. Ryou bit his lip. What would Bakura say?

Well, he wasn't racing- Bakura couldn't get mad at him for that. And, he could always not tell him that he was going.

"Sure," Ryou smiled. "Sounds like fun."

Yet he couldn't ignore that gnawing feeling in his heart that appeared yet again.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

So, how is it so far? Good? Bad? Ryou's feeling guilty about having new friends and not seeing Malik and Ryuuji; Bakura has his little brother on a short leash. What will happen next time?

Read and Review and maybe you'll find out! ;-D

~~Paw-Chan Signing Out~~


	3. Glimpse Of The Past, Flicker of the

Hey hey hey, it's Chapter 2! The plot is about to get interesting within the next chapter or so, so I hope you all will stay at least that much longer before dropping this. And, also, this would've been out last night, but I decided that until I finished Chapter 7 of **_Allure_** I wouldn't post this, and guess what? I finished it! ^___^ Makes me so happy!

Well, anyways, here is Chapter 2!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh**

_**Chapter 2: Glimpse of the Past, Flicker of the Future**_

"Sleepover?" Bakura raised an eyebrow. Ryou never went on sleepovers. The only time he did was when there was a racing event involved. "You're not going to the races in Kyoto, are you?" Ryou shook his head automatically. He felt bad lying to Bakura, but Ryou knew his brother would never approve of him going to spend the night at Yugi's if he knew that they were going to the races in Kyoto.

"Nope," Ryou replied, the 'p' of his nope popping. "We're just going to watch movies, play video games, eat Mr. Muto out of house and home, usual sleepover stuff." Ryou gave Bakura a cheeky grin, but the latter sighed and ruffled the former's hair.

"Fine," Bakura conceded. "You can go. But if anything happens you're going to be in trouble!" Ryou nodded, laughing off his brother's warning as he went to gather his stuff for the sleepover.

Bakura shot his brother a fond smile when he knew he wasn't looking. It seemed like Ryou was finally getting over his obsession with the street races. His wrist had just been declared healthy- still a bit fragile, but healthy. And as for his burns, well, he'd be living with them for a while, if not the rest of his life.

Bakura sighed; what would Amane do? She was better at handling Ryou than him, heck, she was good at handling him. Of course, though, she wasn't here. She was gone, and she was never coming back. Overall, thinking back, Amane had been the reason that Ryou had gotten into the races.

She would always take him with her for the day races, and Bakura remembered a time or two where Ryou wouldn't be able to sleep (or him, his mind nagged), and Amane would take them with her when she was sneaking out to the races during the night. Always on weekends, never during the week- that was Amane's unwritten rule that they both knew.

How he missed his older sister, and he knew Ryou was the same. That's why Ryou started racing in the first place. To feel closer to Amane after her… after her accident.

There was a knock at the door and Bakura shook his head. He hadn't thought about Amane in a while. In all honesty, the real reason that her memories were brought up more often was because of Ryou…

The knocking on the door persisted and Bakura rolled his eyes and barked out,

"It's open anytime you want to come in!"

The door was opened hesitantly, and in stepped Honda, one of Ryou's friends. He looked a bit nervous, seeing that it was just Bakura in the room with no Ryou.

"Um, I'm here to pick Ryou up," He explained needlessly. Bakura shrugged carelessly, and pointed down the hall. "He's in his room, if you want to be bothered to go down."

"No need," Ryou's soft voice floated in from the hall. He had a messenger bag draped over his shoulder, and he smiled towards Bakura. "I'll see you in the morning."

Bakura nodded, and Ryou darted out the door with Honda. Just as the door shut, Bakura heard Honda mutter,

"Ryou, your brother is creepy!" And Ryou's laugh to go along with.

However, as the door shut, an unsettling feeling set in Bakura's stomach. Ryou didn't seem to have been telling him the truth, but there was no reason to disprove that he wasn't. Hmm… He was probably just being paranoid. This was the first time in almost half a year Ryou had gone out with friends. Bakura had no reason to deny Ryou that chance, paranoid or not.

Bakura just hoped that that freedom wouldn't come back and bite him in the ass.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

"Everybody ready?" Yugi asked, bouncing on his heels in his living room, where they'd be sleeping when they got back from the race and were ready to go to bed.

Everybody except for Yami was there, which seemed a little off to Ryou. Yami had seemed very intrigued with the races, why wouldn't he be here to see it with them.

"Where's your brother Yugi?" Ryou asked, setting to light to such revelation. Yugi shrugged as if he didn't know.

"He said he'd meet us there," Yugi replied. "Why?" Ryou shrugged himself, replying with,

"Just wondering, that's all."

"So, ready?" Yugi asked once more, and the group nodded, moving as one out the door and to the Muto's vehicle.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

"It feels weird, coming to a race without Ryou," Malik commented, walking through the gates to the stands. Ryuuji nodded in agreement.

"It's weird not actually being on the track too," Ryuuji added. "It's been about half a year since we've been down there…" Malik sighed, leaning over the rails.

"Maybe we should find a new racer." Ryuuji suggested, and Malik jolted back, staring at Ryuuji had just suggested that the jump off a cliff into a cup of water.

"_What?_" He exclaimed, eyes practically bugging out of his head. "Replace Ryou? I could never do that!" Ryuuji sighed.

"Yeah," Ryuuji answered. "I couldn't either." He hesitated, then said, "Maybe we should try and find Ryou. See if he wants to race again. We could fix up the Lightning and…" Malik shook his head.

"Bakura would kill us if Ryou even got… ten feet near… a… race car?" Malik trailed off staring at something down the stands. Ryuuji blinked looking at the blond.

"What?" He asked. "What's wrong?" Malik blinked once more before saying,

"Unless I'm mistaken, there's our favorite racer right there!" Malik pointed down the stands a bit at a very familiar mop of white-silver hair. Ryuuji recoiled.

"Bakura actually let him _come_?" Malik let out a loud laugh.

"Yeah right; Bakura probably doesn't know he's here." Malik leaned on the railing, staring at their friend. He was sitting with a pretty brunette, and a boy with multicolored hair. "Want to go talk to him?"

Ryuuji shook his head.

"Maybe later," Ryuuji replied. "Who knows what he might be thinking, being here. We might just scare him, surprising him like this." Malik sighed, staring after his friend, but eventually let Ryuuji tug him off up into the stands towards their seats.

Just then, Ryou turned and looked at the now empty spot where Malik and Ryuuji had just been standing.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

"What, is there something wrong Ryou?" Anzu asked, looking at Ryou, who was staring off to the side. He shook his head, looking at his friends.

"No," He shook his head. "Just thought someone was staring at me. Guess I was wrong." Yugi nodded, as well as Anzu, but before either of them could say anything, the MC started speaking.

"_Welcome everybody, to the Night Races of Kyoto!"_ A perky female voice announced over the speakers. _"Tonight's first race is Blue Eyes vs. Dancing Flame! This is Dancing Flame's first big race, fresh out of the beginner circuit right in with the big leagues!"_

The two racers rolled up to the starting line, and Ryou looked over the cars' designs. Blue Eyes' was a simplistic white coat with, of course, blue eyes on the hood. Dancing Flame's, though, was more intricate. It had flames spewing across the sides of the vehicle, and what looked to be Chakrams on the hood.

"_Racer's ready?"_ The girls' voice chimed over the speakers. "_Racer's set?"_ The gun shot off, causing Ryou to jump.

The race looked like it was perfectly choreographed from Ryou's point of view, with side commentaries from the MC, Anzu and Yugi. Each corner was taken precisely by Blue Eyes, and Dancing Flame was right behind him with turns that made even his crew flinch. All in all, it looked like to Ryou, a crash waiting to happen.

He could see the crash happen…

_The brake wouldn't work. He slammed his foot down on the pedal, nothing happened, he kept swerving. Turning the steering wheel did nothing, the emergency brake refused to work. Time seemed to slow as he spun across the finish line, crashing into the wall. The engine caught fire, and everything seemed to go black…_

"…right?" A hand was being waved in front of his face. "Ryou, are you alright?" Ryou blinked, emerald eyes coming back into focus as a shiver ran down his spine.

Ryou looked up to the worried looks of Anzu and Yugi.

"Yeah, why?" He asked, looking down to the finish line. No one had crashed; Blue Eyes had won the race. Anzu and Yugi looked at each other, but it was Anzu who finally spoke.

"You spaced out." She explained. "You were shaking- it seemed like something scared you." Ryou shook his head.

"It was nothing." Ryou said, but he got raised eyebrows from Yugi and Anzu; he sighed.

"Ever since my accident," Ryou told them, "When I got trapped in the warehouse, something happened to me. They're pretty much flashes of what had happened. The doctors don't know what causes them, and they spring up at almost any time." Yugi and Anzu nodded sympathetically, and Ryou inwardly winced. He felt bad for lying to Yugi and Anzu, but he had no choice.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

"_And the winner is The Pharaoh!"_ The MC cheered over her microphone, a little while later. Yugi was half hanging on the side rail to the stands as the race ended. It had been a really close call, and for a few moments Ryou had thought that The Pharaoh was actually going to _lose._

"That was really close!" Yugi crowed to Anzu and Ryou as they made their way down out of the stands. They were going to meet up with Jou and Honda- who had all gone down, claiming to get a better view of the race -and Yami had called during Blue Eyes' race saying that he'd meet them back at the Muto's house with pizza.

Before either Ryou or Anzu could respond with an answer, the three were crashed into. Two kids had apparently been too busy talking to each other, and they hadn't noticed the trio making their way down.

"Ouch!" All of them yelped, sent sprawling to the ground. Shaking it off, one of the ones who knocked them down popped up, and offered a hand to his friend, helping him up. Then, turning to Anzu, he offered a coy smile, saying,

"A hand up my fair lady?" Ryou blinked, watching as Anzu accepted the helping hand. It was a tan hand, and following the arm to the rest of the body, Ryou found himself staring sideways at a very familiar blonde with lavender eyes. He was sure that if he looked at the boy's companion that it would be a boy with black hair and emerald eyes, similar to his own.

Ryou could feel the blood draining out of his face as he got to his feet. Nausea rolled through his stomach like a flood, and Ryou felt like he was going to be sick.

"Ryou?" Yugi asked, violet eyes in his face, ones that were filled with concern. "Are you alright?" Before Yugi could get answer, he yelped as he was drug by his collar away from Ryou.

"Dude, give him a little space!" Malik chastised, Yugi, and Ryou could feel tears filling his eyes. "He looks like he's about to hurl, and you do _not_ want projectile vomit all over you." Ryou choked, and scrambled to the side railing.

"I need to go." Ryou said, Anzu half catching it. "I'm sorry. I-I'll see you Monday at school."

And Ryou darted out of sight.

However, as he left, an announcement from the MC caught the ears of a racer, and his two mechanics.

"_Remember all you kiddies who want to join the big leagues of racing- March 21st, the Equinox, is the Opening of the Tournament for New Racers. You must be signed up by the 28th of February."_

Needless to say, the three couldn't leave fast enough.

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

_We're not sure whose idea it was first. At first it floated through all of our heads, a toying, fleeting, flirt of an image, tempting us like Eve and the Forbidden Fruit. However, there was no serpent to whisper in our ears to take the bite, to take the fruit. We just did._

_I suppose you could say that the fantasies truly started when we all accumulated at the same school again. We were friends again, despite the fact that there was another group attached to us as well._

_Who also seemingly hated part of us with a passion._

_**X.x.X.x.X**_

So, how was it? Good, I hope. So, we all know who White Lightning is, but who's Black Thunder? (Indicates towards title) Trust me, that part will be coming up soon... *Smiles*

Anyways, I hope you like it so far. So, please Read, Review, and Tell Me What You Think!

~~Paw-Chan Signing Out~~


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